Leah, Lando, Carlos, Max, Yuki, and Lance all walked into the media room and sat on the couch. This time Leah sat beside Lando, she didn't care what they'd told her previously she was tired of sitting on the opposite side of the couches from him. Max was sitting to her right. The two of them both had Red Bulls in their hands.
"Welcome everyone, it's media day here in Miami, we are joined by Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Max Verstappen, Leah Guessey, and Lando Norris." The announcer read off the drivers. Leah looked over at Lando who put his arm around the back of the couch as she took a sip of her Red Bull.
"Well I mean your still my wife," Lando smiled at her. She made sure to sit closer to him than anyone else but still gave enough space to where it wasn't inappropriate.
"I know," She leaned her head on his shoulder as she played with the microphone cover.
"Leah, welcome back." She lifted her head seeing a male interviewer. She gave him a faint smile. "We've missed you over the last few races, you were absent from the post-race interviews and post-quali interviews."
"Yep," She nodded and smiled at Lando as he rested his hand on her shoulder kissing her temple. Max stared at the two of them and laughed a little.
"So how do you think this weekend will go? Do any of you expect any major changes in your cars?" Everyone stayed silent so Max decided to take this one.
"I mean we still need to improve on the corners, but we won't be getting those advancements until later on in the season," He laughed a little as he looked at Leah.
"Yeah, but I still wish I could get a radio to you," Leah pointed at him. Max just looked confused. "I want to talk with you when we are far away from everyone else. I get bored and ISabella gets annoyed with me when I say dumb shit."
"What makes you think I want to hear that?" Max chuckled. Leah shrugged.
"Cause, your my teammate so you have to listen to me, but also I just want to make racecar noises when I pass you, I think it would be funny and it's not as funny if I have to tell Isabella to tell you," Leah defended as a few people in the crowd laughed. She pointed at them. "Yes, I know that's childish, but my inner child is living out her dreams so leave me alone. I'm happy."
"No, that would annoy me," Max shook his head.
"I want a radio to you," Lando interrupted and Leah turned as she smiled at him.
"This, see this," She pointed to her and Lando as she stared at Max. "This is why we are married. I just like talking to other people than Isabella, she gets mad at me sometimes for things I say."
"Are they relevant to racing?" Someone asked and Leah just stared out at the crowd.
"I'm not inclined to answer," She laughed and leaned back against Lando as he smiled down at her. The cameras made sure to catch the moments between the couple. When they were in press together they always got more views for formula one.
"Alright, so Miami, circuit, we've all driven on this before? How do we think our cars will perform from last year?"
"I'm going to take this before the winners answer," Lance reasoned. "Our cars have been doing alright this season, we are getting more modifications later on, but for now I think we will comfortably sit in the middle field of the grid."
"Fernando has been a beast lately," Leah laughed as Max nodded.
"So can we expect Red Bull to take another win?"
"I mean we are what four, five races into the 2023 season, how many last years were won by someone other than Leah or myself?" Max asked the man as the two of them laughed.
"So you are saying you both are the best pairing on the grid?"
"Arguably," Leah explained as she looked at Lando. "There are a lot of drivers with potential."
"Was that your way of being nice to me?" Lando laughed at her. She smiled and buried her face in her hands. "I'm grateful for the compliment, but let's not be modest. You both have won world titles, it's not arguable, you both are the best pairing on the grid."
"Okay, but Lando and Oscar are the youngest pair on the grid," Leah pointed out and Max nodded.
"That is true and both drivers show a lot of skill and promise they just need a better car," Max reasoned. Lando smiled and adjusted his hat but kept himself silent.
"Lando, how do you feel about your wife always winning?"
"I think it's awesome, I mean who can say that their wife is the first female formula one driver, with consecutive podiums and a world championship title," He laughed as Leah crossed her leg and put her ankle over Lando's. "None."
"Does she ever rub it in your face?" Leah lifted her mic to answer, but stopped and waited for him to answer.
"No, I brag for her," Lando smiled at Leah as she nodded.
"What about Ferrari, we see your teams fighting their way up the grid, but also fighting with each other, why don't you tell us about that?" Carlos zoned back in as he looked at the woman speaking.
"Not much to say, um, it's hard to compete with cars that are much more advanced than ours," Carlos laughed as he tried to play off the question. He didn't answer the second part of that question. "I hoped that my girlfriend would help me, but she knows where her loyalties lie." Carlos leaned forward and smiled at Leah.
"Damn right, she does, hoes before bros man," Leah smirked at him.
"What does that mean for me?" Lando asked. Leah looked back at him and patted his chest.
"That I love you," She smiled and he nodded as others in the room laughed at her comment. Leah felt more comfortable speaking to the press with Lando there. She felt stronger being with others rather than being questioned alone. She knew anyone on the grid would back her up, but she hated having people fight her battles for her. She liked being independent sometimes.
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After their interview, Leah had to come to do a video with Max and Daniel. They had a little motorized boat that they were going to drive around the bay.
"How do I?" Max asked as he looked at the controls in his hand. "Which one is mine?" He asked as he pulled the antenna out and the middle boat started moving. Leah smiled when she got hers and turned it on.
"Are we supposed to just drive these around, 'cause this is going to be fun, but I'm totally chasing Max's," Leah chuckled evilly as she watched Max try to dodge her little boat. "These things go fast!" she smiled as she watched her zoom across the water. The third one started moving as Daniel started the chase. At one point he ran his into the dock and had to grab it and toss it back out into the open so it didn't get stuck.
"Damn it, Leah!" Max yelled as she ran into his boat causing his to stall. Leah just smiled at the cameras as she drove her around.
"Leah is definitely the younger sister of this trio," Daniel laughed as he started driving his around in a little figure-eight motion.
"What makes you say that?" Leah asked. "My age, since I am way younger than both of you." Max stared at her as he started his boat once again.
"You are like two years younger than me," Max scoffed at Leah. Leah shrugged and went after Daniel as he tried to avoid her.
"You are a little menace I swear," Daniel cried out as his boat crashed into the dock again as he avoided Leah.
"Oh did, I tell you both that I lost my cat the other day," Max blurted out suddenly. Leah nodded.
"Yeah, wasn't it Sassy or something, but you didn't tell me the story, you just said she was gone and then that you found her," Leah reasoned as she paused her chaos.
"Yeah, wait how did you lose your cat?" Daniel asked.
"Well so, I was streaming one day and then realized I hadn't seen one of my cats, Sassy, in a long while, so I started checking my rooms in my house. There was one room that I kept hearing movement in, but when I tried to open the door I couldn't. It wouldn't budge. There was a mattress that had fallen against the door," Max explained as he used his hand motions. As always. Leah loved the fact that Max used his hand when he spoke. She did, but not like him. Leah saw it as an art form when he spoke about things. "So the first thing I decided on why trying to get the door off the hinges, but I didn't have the tools for that and then my cat started meowing. It had been roughly, six or seven hours, I think since she'd been out so I was like, I need to get my cat out of this room. So eventually I just took a hammer to the door," He gestured to a small circle. "And broke a section out."
"Damn, the things you will do for you cats," Leah laughed at him as he ran a hand through his hair and put his hat back on.
"Your cat is crazy, how did it get in there then?" Daniel asked as a team member came over and took their controllers from them.
"I think she must have gone in since that door is normally cracked and there was a mattress creating against the wall and it must have fallen, which cause the door to stick shut," Max reasoned and Daniel nodded along with him.
"But you got the cat out right?" Leah asked. Max nodded. "Dude, but there's a hole in your door now."
"Yes, but I got my cat out," He smiled at her.
"Alright guys, so next we've got slightly bigger boats for you," Cassidy laughed as he came forward giving them each a helmet.
"What am I supposed to be playing bumper cars in the water," Leah asked as she put it on and fastened the buckle under her chin. "And I ready captain?" Cassidy hit the side of her helmet and nodded.
"Good to go," Cassidy gestured to the small little boats that looked like they would fit a kid.
"You expect me to fit in there?" Max asked as they all slowly got into their boats. Daniel was the first one to go out. He went in a little circle with his hand in the water. Leah was next since she was smaller it was easy for her not to tip the boat. Max was having a more difficult time. Every turn he would almost tip out of the boat.
"Wait this is fun!" Leah yelled from the water as she and Daniel went in circles around Max. Leah watched as Max moved forward causing her to jerk away from him, but Daniel was there as they both laughed. She watched as her boat overturned. "No!" Leah as she kept her head above water.
"You weren't meant to throw her in the water!" Cassidy sighed. Max and Daniel high-fived one another as Leah swam at them, but they got away from her fast as they both screamed in fear.
"There's a shark in the water!" Daniel laughed as Leah stared at them. They both got out where it was dry as Leah swam in the water.
"Leah look a shark a shark!" Max yelled as he pointed in the water. Leah lay on her back with her arms spread out.
"It can have me, I'm too tired for this shit," She closed her eyes and floated in the water until she heard the splash. She sat up and saw Max and Daniel both pop up out of the water. Cassidy smiled at Leah.
"You really think I wouldn't push you in," Cassidy laughed at them. Leah swam quickly at the pair, but they grabbed ahold of the ladder.
"Go! Go!" Max yelled as he pushed Daniel up the ladder and jumped out himself. She smiled up at them as she climbed up the ladder. The three of them were soaking wet. Daniel smiled and turned to Cassidy.
"Don't even think about it," Cassidy said as she held up their phones and walked past them. "You three look like wet rats!" She laughed as they all walked together. The air was warm so they weren't cold. Leah was between Max and Daniel and she was fighting the urge to throw them back into the water. None of them had a spare change of clothes with them, so they would have to ride back to the hotel soaking wet.